Nuclear
by Kessie-Louise
Summary: A series of one shots surrounding an almost nuclear family. Read to find why Mr Peabody allowed a mother figure in Sherman's life, how a dog and female human 'married' each other, be attacked by the fluff of sibling bonding between Sherman and his new 'stepsister' and much, much more. WIP, R&R
1. Sherman's Essay

Essays scared Sherman. Not the ones for history class, quite naturally, history class was a cinch for him for some rather obvious reasons. No, no, no. The essay that was due was for English, under the topic of 'creative writing.' The subject for the essay in question? 'Describe your family in an essay of 500-700 words.'

Easier said than done Mr Serrell. Way easier said than done.

Sherman tossed himself on top of his bed, taking a deep breath out. Was this writer's block? It might have been... not that it was going to help write the essay any faster or anything. Grudgingly, Sherman got back up and walked over to his computer. No time like the present, right?

. . .

_My family is... different, to say the least. Not that long ago it was just Mr Peabody and I. We were very happy with each other's company, and we hardly ever got into fights. But our whole world changed when I... sort of destroyed the fabric of space and time. It's a really long story, and maybe someone will pick it up eventually, so I'll spare the details for now. Oh, and you're welcome, without my brilliant idea to save the universe, we wouldn't have today or tomorrow... or the past when I think of it. So, like I said, you're welcome._

_Regardless, our small 'family' grew recently. It began when I thought back to the day that Mr Peabody adopted me. I wanted to know who my mother was, but Mr Peabody had pointed out that since he found me in an abandoned alley, there was no way to tell who left me there. Let alone find a way to trace whoever had just left a small, defenseless child alone in the world in heavy rain. But there was still... something... missing. That day when I asked Mr Peabody about it, it was the first time I had ever thought that way. I think this struck a cord with Mr Peabody as well, because he started looking for a mom for me. Bear in mind, I didn't ask him to, and I'm not quite sure what he was thinking, but he did it any way._

_Mr Peabody looked every where for a woman that I could use for a mother figure. He even starting using a few dating sites. The result from that was... interesting, to say the least. But with all his looking, he didn't realize that the one he was really looking for was right there in front of him. Metaphorically, mostly, but it's true. At the same time Mr Peabody was looking for a mother for me, a lady named Jane Barlow was finding someone to adopt her baby, Eleanor. Jane didn't want to be a mother, apparently something bad happened that led to Eleanor's birth. Mr Peabody said he'd tell me when I'm older, but I still ask about it. Some times it's just fun to pester him with a thousand and one questions._

_Jane and Mr Peabody ran into each other often until Jane finally asked Mr Peabody if he would adopt Eleanor, like he had done with me. At this point, they had ran into each other often enough that they knew enough about each other that Mr Peabody refused at first. He knew that if Jane gave up Eleanor, she would never be happy, even though she thought she would be. A few days went by and Mr Peabody approached Jane with an idea; he would adopt Eleanor, only if Jane would be my mother. Shocked as she was, Jane accepted. She knew that Eleanor loved me, and (in her own way) Jane loved me too. After that, Mr Peabody and Jane signed some papers that said that they were 'legally joined,' but not married. We had a big party for them, but it wasn't a wedding. It was more like a party where everyone dressed up to watch a dog and human sign paperwork. It was boring._

_Now, Jane and Eleanor live with us. I like having Eleanor as a sister, even though she isn't really. Jane is really fun to have around when Mr Peabody has to go to a conference out of town, or some other place where he can't take me with him. Together, we're a new kind of nuclear family. We're different, but we get along like any other family would. What makes us different from your family? What makes us different from a family with two fathers? Or a family that only has a single parent? Nothing. Absolutely nothing._

_I think we're perfect, and no matter what you do, it's going to stay like that for a long time._


	2. Sing Jane, Sing

"Good night Sherman." Jane said before shutting the door to the boy's room.

"Wait!" the ten year old said. Jane opened the door again.

"Yes?" she asked, so exhausted and wanting to end the day so she could go to bed herself. For a moment, Sherman didn't know what to say. He didn't think he'd get this far, truthfully.

"Re... read me a story." the boy said, the phrase never before coming out of his mouth. Jane looked at him and laughed.

"Hun, all the books in this apartment are on a college reading level, and beyond that." she told him. "I'm not reading you the History of Physics before you go to sleep. _I'll_ go to sleep if I read that."

"Then sing."

"Oh sweetie..." Jane said, walking over to Sherman's bed, "I don't sing."

"You do in the shower." the ten year old said quite simply. "You're not exactly quiet about it either."

Well, she had to hand it to him, he knew how to blackmail her pretty well. Jane leaned on his bed.

"What do you want me to sing?" she asked him.

"I... I don't know." Sherman admitted. "I didn't think this out that far... Mr Peabody would have left by now... or start reading the History of Physics."

Jane sat on his bed, not sure whether to pity the kid or humor him.

"Alright," she finally agreed. "Let's see if I can butcher Mama Cass a bit."

Sherman looked at her, but said nothing as Jane cleared her throat and began to sing.

"_Stars shining bright above you... night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'; Birds singing in the sycamore tree, dream a little dream of me..._

_Say 'nightie night' and kiss me... just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me; While I'm alone and blue as can be, dream a little dream of me..._

_Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you... sweet dreams that leave all worries far behind you; But in your dreams whatever they be, dream a little dream of me..._"

As Jane softly vocalized as she headed out the door again, Sherman was asleep now and she safely tiptoed out the door.

"That was rather excellent singing." Peabody said from behind her. Jane almost slammed the door in surprise as she whipped around to look at him. "Were you trained professionally, by chance?"

"No." Jane said, shaking her head.

"Shame..." Peabody then said, almost absentmindedly and to himself. "Ah well, good night."

"Good night." Jane said back as the two went in opposite directions. On the back of her mind, Jane thought about what goes on in Peabody's head. Then again, she really didn't want to know either.


	3. Bang Bang

**Due to a very serious subject matter and coarse language in this chapter, the following has been given an individual rating of T.**

**Read at your own risk!**

* * *

To say that the apartment blew up that night would have been an understatement. If anything, it was World War III, as far as Sherman was concerned. He wasn't even sure how the conversation even started, or how he got shut in his room. But the shots firing from the living room where enough to make him just linger at the door; just barely catching some of the softer words, although the loudest (and most used) could ring from top to down in the rather large New York apartment complex.

"You're not the alpha!" Jane spat, "You can't have control over every little last thing that comes through that door and expect it to bend to your will!"

"_Never_ use those dog stereotypes! I'm not a normal dog, and I do NOT want to be treated like one!" Peabody told her.

"Well you're certainly not a human, and you won't die as one either, now will you?" Jane fired back. "Sherman and Eleanor are not puppies, they're not _your_ puppies! They're humans, and they'll _die_ humans!"

"Whether or not the children are of my biological make up does not apply to this situation." Mr Peabody said rather calmly. "Just because you can not control your... natural urges-"

"I was RAPED!" Jane shouted, sounding so furious that she likely wasn't thinking very clearly to begin with.

"And what do you propose I do about it? It was not my fault that you were-"

"'Were what' Peabody?! A bitch?! Huh? Is that it?!"

"What? No! No, no, no Jane!"

"Then what am I, Peabody? An idiot? A dumb little girl that thought she could trust her own fucking boyfriend?! I didn't even _know_ what he was doing until it was too fucking late!"

After this thought, there was a silence, a really horrible, could-hear-a-pin-drop silence.

"I'm lucky that being mute is the only thing wrong with her." Jane then said quietly.

"What are you..."

"She was born with very weak vocal cords, if they are even developed at all. Why do you think I've been trying to teach her sign language? I thought you would have picked up on this already."

Mr Peabody mumbled something that sounded similar to 'I've forgotten' but said nothing out loud.

"I'm sorry." Jane finally said after another long silence. "I... I wasn't thinking clearly."

"No..." Peabody said slowly, "A part of it is my fault as well. We both crossed rather untouchable lines tonight. Obviously, although we are in an agreed arrangement, I am not satisfying you in the way the world believes we are bound."

"Well when you say it like that..."

Again, the adult figures were silent.

"Perhaps we can convince the Petersons to watch Sherman and Eleanor for a night, and we could just... talk." Mr Peabody suggested. "I'm sure that Penny would love to have the two over for a while."

"But what if talking isn't what we need to do?" Jane asked quietly.

"Then we'll do whatever it takes." Peabody promised. "Even if only for Sherman and Eleanor's well being."

Sherman backed away from the door quietly and crawled into his bed. The war was over, but even Sherman knew that peace was just a word...


	4. Her Name is Eleanor

Sherman watched Penny in disgust as she acted as if his stepsister was a puppy. Eleanor wasn't a puppy, and the idea of making her one made Sherman want to punch Penny. Not that he would actually do that; maybe a wall first, then if his hand wasn't displaced or bleeding, maybe he'd hit her.

"Aw, what a sweet little Ella." Penny cooed to a sixteen month old who seemed to not be listening.

"Please don't call her that." Sherman groaned. "She doesn't even like it."

Penny looked up at Sherman with a doubting look and put a hand on her hip.

"How would you know?" she asked quite simply. "You can't read her mind."

Sherman opened his mouth, then closed it again, not sure how to answer. Penny smirked, then turned back to Eleanor.

"Come here Ellie, come on over to your favorite Penny!" the girl then said. Sherman rolled his eyes in disgust and frustration.

Eleanor turned to look at Penny, clumsily signed 'all done' twice then returned to what she was doing. Sherman did all in his power not to laugh. Penny had no idea what had just happened.

"She doesn't like you." Sherman told Penny bluntly, having a hard time to stop himself from laughing. In response, Penny made a rather indignant sound and folded her arms.

"Hey Eleanor!" Sherman called. Instantly, the young girl turned around. Sherman motion for her to come over, and she obliged with a wide smile on her face. Penny looked on in contempt as the step-siblings exchanged a small high five and hug.

"So when are you all gonna go on a family vacation with the WABAC?" Penny asked. Sherman stopped playing with his sister and looked at Penny as if she had suggested mass murder. Instantly, he covered Eleanor's ears, much to the little girl's confusion.

"Mr Peabody said that we're not supposed to talk about the WABAC in front of Jane and Eleanor." Sherman whispered.

"Why?" Penny asked.

Sherman opened his mouth to say something, but found that he didn't have an answer. He looked at Eleanor who was wiggling to get out of his grasp. Sherman removed his hands from her ears and Eleanor resumed playing.

"And here I thought you guys went on these really cool adventures with each other..." Penny mumbled. "Your family is in possession of the world's only functioning _time machine_, and half of you aren't even aware of its existence..."

Sherman said nothing, and chose to focus on his sister.

Why _did_ Mr Peabody not let them talk about the WABAC?


	5. Dinner with Lady Jane

At first thought, taking her 1960 Volkswagen Beetle to the fanciest restaurant in New York didn't seem like such a bad idea. At least it was better than riding shotgun in a side cart of a scooter. But now that they were actually in the restaurant's parking lot, Jane felt bad.

"Is something the matter?" Peabody asked, taking quick notice that she was drumming her fingers on the Bug's steering wheel nervously.

"This car is so out of place here..." Jane said, staring at the many Mercedes-Benz models and other luxury cars owned by the men and women in New York who could easily pay the cost of the car in full. Mr Peabody looked at the cars too, then chuckled lightly.

"The scooter would have looked like the wrong puzzle piece if we had brought it tonight." he told her, starting to get out of the VW. "Besides, nothing makes people buzz more than the sight of a Bug!"

Jane held back her remarks as Mr Peabody shut the door and walked over to her side of the car to open her door. She stared at him as he straightened his tie a bit.

"Oh, and please try to limit you admiration of the high class tones in this dining establishment." he said. "There are many here who... question my motives toward human activities, and I'd like to keep their gossip at bay, if at all possible. Alright?"

Jane only continued to stare. Mr Peabody picked up on this, and stared at her as well.

"You look very beautiful tonight Jane." Peabody then told her, half hoping to motivate her out of the car. "It would be a shame if no one could see the beauty in you that I see now."

Involuntarily, Jane blushed a deep shade of red. Realizing what he had said, Mr Peabody could feel a rather distinct tinge of embarrassment. But it got her out of the car, and it was fine enough for him.

. . .

"Name?" the host asked dully.

"I believe I placed the reservations under Barlow-Peabody." Mr Peabody said. The host looked down at the dog, then looked at his reservation book.

"Ah yes, the BP party." the host then said in a dry amusement, as if remembering a joke said earlier that had not been funny. "If you'll follow me please."

Without further instruction, Mr Peabody and Jane followed the host to their table.

"Would you like anything to drink?" the host asked after the duo had taken their seats.

"Water would be wonderful enough." Mr Peabody told the host. The host gave Peabody a dry looked, then nodded before leaving. Jane started to look through the menu.

"They have a lot of offer here..." she said in a small voice as she also took a look at the prices.

"Don't worry about that," Mr Peabody assured her, "I know just what to order and how you like it. To be honest, I'm not all that fond of the food here."

Jane put her menu down and looked at Peabody.

"Then why are we here?" she asked. "As much as I _love_ getting dressed up and spending over five hundred dollars on an appetizer..."

"Jane, I wanted to ask you something important, and it requires your utmost attention."

"What?" the woman asked curiously with a hint of confusion.

"If I were to provide you with a time machine, who would you visit first?"

"I think I've heard this question before."

"Then you shouldn't have a hard time answering the question."

Jane looked at her lawful other and smirked.

"Okay then." she said as if she was accepting a challenge. "If someone gave me a time machine for a day to see only one figure in history, I would choose Mary the First of England."

"Why?" Peabody asked her, almost sounding as patient as a teacher who just wanted their student to spit out the right answer.

"The false pregnancies." Jane said, her eyes almost twinkling. "We all know that she was a bit crazy, but what was going on in her mind and life that she was crazy enough to make her body believe that she was pregnant not only once, but at least twice in her lifetime."

"And you know what it's like?" Mr Peabody asked, almost smirking a bit.

"I know what it's like for everyone to expect something out of you, only for the truth to come out and everyone only hates you more." Jane said, the sparkle in her eyes quickly vanished. Peabody smiled a little though.

"You do realize that Mary the First had a cousin that went by the name of Jane. You may confuse her." the dog said, attempting for a more joking tone.

"Her aunt was named Mary too, I don't think she'd care." Jane responded, smiling a bit.

Mr Peabody chuckled as he spotted the host coming with their drinks. Maybe tonight would be the night he'd tell Jane about the WABAC.

Maybe.

He had to change her views on Tudor monarchies first.


	6. Inspiration

It was Mr Peabody's turn to watch Eleanor tonight. Sherman was having study time over at Penny's house, and Jane was planning on auditioning for a certain dance troupe that night. It was going to be the first time in awhile that a baby was placed in Peabody's care, and to be honest, it made him feel old. Maybe it was just a simple logical reaction to how the first child he cared for was Sherman (who was ten now) and he could remember those times quite easily and fondly. Or maybe it was because he really was old, in which case he did not want to think about it.

But approaching the child alone proved to be more of a hassle than what he first anticipated. With so much for them to do, where were they going to begin?

Right now, Eleanor was sitting on the couch in the living room, having propped herself up there unmanned, she looked at the ceiling with great interest. Mr Peabody observed her as the eighteen month old started to babble to herself, possibly interacting with an invisible playmate. It had been awhile, but Peabody couldn't quite recall Sherman's imagination being that active at eighteen months. The kids were two separate beings though, so any conclusions based on how Sherman viewed the world would be, in fact, inconclusive from the way Eleanor viewed the world.

But it gave Mr Peabody an idea.

"Eleanor, come for a walk with me." Mr Peabody proposed.

Almost immediately, Eleanor shot straight up (or maybe it was due to hearing her name and the promise of adventure that the voice that called her held) and looked at Peabody with a smile. With an expert skill of maneuvering, Eleanor succeeded in getting down from the sofa unharmed and waddled over to Peabody. She took the incentive to curl her fingers around one of his and looked up at him with a look that was ready for action. For a moment, you could unmistakably see Jane in her daughter.

With a smile, Mr Peabody led Eleanor to th elevator and they arrived at a floor abandoned by its owners. The old dog held the key to the apartment after convincing the actual apartment owner for it. Today he was going to start rebuilding it and Eleanor was going to be the cornerstone.

It was still going to take time, but this would prove to be a good bonding time between the two. Then maybe -one the side if there was time- Mr Peabody would dabble in another project that would require both Eleanor and Sherman. But that was set for another time, today was the day he began working on something he would call The Imagination Room. It wouldn't be as complex as the WABAC, he was never going to make anything as complex as that again. But it was going to be just as grand because it was inspired by something great; his children.


	7. Rekindling

Sherman was surprised to see Jane's Bug sitting outside his school on Friday. Normally, Mr Peabody was the one to pick Sherman up from school- but Sherman remembered something important about that day that was almost a no brainer; Penny was spending the night, therefore she couldn't fit in Mr Peabody's scooter whether she wanted to or not.

"Hey guys," Jane greeted as Sherman and Penny got into the back seat from the passenger side of the car, "I've gotta make a trip to Walgreen's real quick before we get back to the apartment. You don't mind, do you?"

"Nah." the kids said in unison.

"Perfect." Jane said happily as they finished buckling up.

. . .

Jane let Sherman and Penny stay in the Bug while she got what she needed from Walgreen's. The two had almost immediately put their heels up by the headrest and Penny had put on one of Jane's mix tapes to listen to while they waited.

"How long does it take to get whatever she was getting?" Penny lazily asked after ten minutes.

"I dunno." Sherman replied with a shrug as he started to close his eyes.

"Apparently long enough to get a new boyfriend."

"WHAT?!"

"She is _definitely_ flirting with him." Penny said as if giving commentary. Sherman quickly sat up to see what Penny was talking about, almost hoping that she was joking with him. Unfortunately, Penny was telling the truth; Jane was talking with some man like she was enjoying their conversation a little too much. The woman was blushing like mad, and even appeared to stutter a few of her words in quick (but numbed) thinking. As the two got closer to the car, Sherman and Penny were able to hear what they were saying.

"So you have my number, right?" the guy asked. He was a bit taller than Jane, and he wore a rather elegant suit to show to the world that he was a business man. His black hair complimented this idea and was slicked back with hair gel into an 1950's flip.

"Yes, yeah." Jane agreed as she nervously waved her phone. "Got it here. I'm just... wow Jake, I really thought I'd never see you again!"

"Interesting..." Penny mumbled to herself. Sherman did not answer her directly, but he made a mental note to call her out on it later.

"I'll talk to you later then." the guy, now known as Jake, told Jane with a wink. Jane unintentionally blushed a little.

"Y-yeah..." she stammered, "I'll be waiting."

Penny let out a deciding little sound that made Sherman glare at her as Jane got back into the car.

"We waited a long time for you to come back." Penny told Jane sweetly as the woman buckled back up. "What took so long?"

"I ran into an old friend." Jane admitted without shame. "He might come over for dinner some time Sherman."

"I can't wait." Sherman said, his lying abilities not as convincing as Penny's. Jane seemed oblivious nonetheless and allowed time for the kids to be properly seated again before heading home.

. . .

Sherman and Penny were doing their homework when Penny finally voiced her idea.

"Jane's gonna cheat on Mr Peabody, and she's gonna do it with the old flame she rekindled with today."

"Nu-uh." Sherman protested. "Jane and Mr Peabody have a very deep regard for each other that no one can take away."

Penny looked at Sherman straight on.

"Did they ever say that to each other in front of your face?" she asked in a blunt tone. Sherman looked at her, but did not give an answer.

"Things are going to get a lot more interesting around here from now on." Penny told him before returning to her schoolwork. "Just you watch and see, it's going to be fun."

Fun for her, Sherman decided, but would it be fun for the rest of them?


End file.
